


Hazmat Torchwood

by rottingbrains



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Analysis, Hazmat Torchwood, Other, Torchwood Hazmat Suit AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24461470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rottingbrains/pseuds/rottingbrains
Summary: OVERVIEW: As suggested by a sign on the wall of the Torchwood Hub, team members are supposed to be equipped with the proper protection at all times. While this particularly applies to certain areas of the Hub, it raises the question: Would the lives and careers of the Torchwood team be improved by the incorporation of hazmat suits? More importantly, in what ways would this affect the plot of the show?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Hazmat Torchwood

Hazmat Suits and Torchwood: A Critical Analysis

OVERVIEW: As suggested by a sign on the wall of the Torchwood Hub, team members are supposed to be equipped with the proper protection at all times. While this particularly applies to certain areas of the Hub, it raises the question: Would the lives and careers of the Torchwood team be improved by the incorporation of hazmat suits? More importantly, in what ways would this affect the plot of the show?

The different ways this could affect the plot of the show first of all depends upon when the hazmat suit becomes part of the official Torchwood uniform; that is, would it be incorporated before or after the episode Everything Changes? If before, this could possibly change Suzie’s course of actions. Thus, for the sake of convenience (and, establishing a plot we will be able to understand and work with), we must assume that hazmat suits are put into use during the episode Day One. This is, surprisingly enough, not that difficult to imagine, as there are already a few scenes in which characters wear hazmat suits- thus, we may take this concept up a notch and apply it to other areas of the episode.  


The fact that characters enter the room to apprehend Carys (or in that case, the alien possessing Carys’ body) whilst clad head to toe in all their hazmat splendor, suggests that they are aware of the hazmat benefits in regards to protecting them from the alien “sex pheremones” that caused the end of so many men’s lives. In this case, they must take this idea and apply it to the rest of their protocol- if they know it is unsafe to interact with Carys without the hazmat outside of the hub, then why should they simply shed their biohazard-chic fashion statements as soon as they arrive inside? While I am all up for a good joke, yes, of course there is a possibility of taking it too far. I do not mean to suggest that the Torchwood team remains clad in their garish yellow (or perhaps sterile white? I don’t remember what the suits look like) outfits while, for example, sitting around the table chatting and eating Chinese take-out. However, the sign in the room (which I’m actually not sure of it’s name- the room with cells in it?) makes it very clear that proper protection must be equipped before entering! 

While Gwen’s decision to enter Carys’ cell may be seen as foolish and emotional, she is, after all, only human. Gwen’s decision may have been well intentioned, but the result showed what a mistake she had made- she became overcome by “sex pheremones” and ended up kissing Carys (or, Carys as possessed by an alien. I’m still unsure of how to refer to her.) The only reason she survived was because she wasn’t a man.*

(*side note- the fact that the alien must have sex with men to survive implies that the pheremones are only designed to affect men- while this isn’t concrete proof of Gwen’s bisexuality, it does back up the fact that she is bi because I say so. Anyways. Moving on.) 

If, in any case, Gwen still made the mistake of entering the cell without a hazmat suit, the existence of protocol calling for it would serve as a reminder of the dangers of not wearing one. After witnessing the CCTV of the incident in the cell, the team would be reminded of the pre-existing rules surrounding hazmat suits. Because of this, Owen would never have entered the area unprotected, meaning that they could have dealt with the situation at the hub, and Carys-as-an-alien would not have left a trail of destruction ending at the sperm bank.


End file.
